His Most Faithful Servant
by Neverlast18
Summary: Bellatrix Lestrange was faithful. She went to Azkaban rather than renounce Lord Voldemort. Now, she going to get rewarded. (this is my first ever fan fic, hope you guys enjoy!)
1. The Horcrux

It was a cold February evening when the Dark Lord summoned Bellatrix Lestrange to his bedroom at Malfoy Manor. She had been faithful. She braved Azkaban rather than renounce him. And now, she was going to be honored. Oh, she going to be honored beyond her wildest imagination. Voldemort looked at the muggle tramp who sat bound and gagged in the middle of the floor. His screams were made soundless by the Silencing Charm. Voldemort ran a long spider like finger over the blade of the knife he was holding.

"You requested my presence, Master?", Bella said as she bowed and entered the room.

Azkaban seems to have taken its toll, but not enough to rob her of her great good looks. Her face was still pale and sunken, but her heavily hooded eyes seemed to have regained some color after she had a few decent meals since last week's breakout. Her wild mane of dark hair fell to the middle of her back. Even Voldemort had to admit, she looked good. Perhaps he'd have another task for her soon...but it was best to wait until she regained her health. Besides, this was more important for now.

"Bella" Voldemort said in a cool, cruel voice. "How lovely it is to see you again. My most faithful servant. I said I will honor you beyond your dreams and so I shall. Bella, I will make you immortal. Death shall never touch you"

"My Lord!" Bella gasped. "Thank you!"

She threw herself to her knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.

"Stand up, Bella" he instructed. Bella stood.

"Now take off your mother's bracelet"

She removed it with a trembling hand and clutched it.

"Get ready, now", said Voldemort. He raised his wand and performed the complicated bit of magic to implant a vision into Bellatrix's head. He normally used this to create visions to torment his enemies into madness. No, not this time. This was better than what he had read in _Secret of the Darkest Arts_ , which provided explicit instructions and illustrations in creating a horcrux. Bellatrix would be able to see herself taking all the necessary steps.

"Are you ready, Bella?" he asked when the visions faded.

"Yes, my Lord"

"Begin"

Bellatrix raised her wand and pointed it at the muggle tramp.

" _Aveda Kedavra_!"

The man's body fell to the floor.

Bella took the blade Voldemort handed her and made a gash across her wand arm. Blood splattered the floor. She drew a circle of blood between herself and the dead tramp and placed the bracelet in the middle of the circle. Next, she pressed the tip of her wand to her heart and uttered,

" _Aufer anima!"_

It was pain beyond anything Bellatrix has ever experienced before. It was worse than the Cruciatus Curse. Much worse… it felt as if her body was burning, burning while being ripped apart by hooks. As if a large beast trapped inside her was clawing its way out. Ripping through her chest, causing her agony beyond reason and imagination. Nothing in the world could have prepared her for this kind of pain.

Breathing harshly, she removed her wand tip from her heart and pressed it against the bracelet in the circle of blood.

" _Abscondam anima"_

And then it stopped. The pain ended. Everything was back to normal. She picked up her horcrux and dropped it almost at once- it burned her.

"Pick it up, Bella", Voldemort instructed. "We shall hide it now. I know just the place"

They Apparated in front of a large building. Bellatrix looked up and saw a sign that said "Wool's Orphanage".

"The children are at a dinner outing at this moment", Voldemort explained. "We shall have sufficient time"

Bella was clutching her horcrux so tightly, she hadn't noticed it no longer burned.

"This is where my childhood was spent" Voldemort told her as they made their way inside. "Eleven long, miserable years before I got my Hogwarts letter. But I was still forced to spend my summers here. All because my filthy muggle father abandoned my witch mother when she told him what she was. Well, I showed him, didn't I? I made him pay!"

They stopped in front of a small door on the second floor. Similar small doors were on either side of the long hallway.

"My childhood bedroom, Bella. It was in this room that I first found out I was a wizard. That old fool Dumbledore came to visit. I made the mistake of letting him see my true nature…"

"My Lord-" Bella started. Voldemort raised a hand to silence her. He pushed the bed to the other side of the room with one sweep of his wand and removed the floorboards with another.

"The horcrux, if you would" he said.

Bella bowed as she handed it over.

Voldemort carefully placed it on the ground under the floorboards and took out his wand. For nearly half an hour, he knelt over it, muttering incantations and making complicated hand movements. At last, he turned to Bellatrix.

"I disillusioned the bracelet, so none will be able to see it. Even if the brat who lives here now tries to hide something he stole under these boards. I also used the same protective enchantments I have used on my own horcruxes. No spell known to wizardkind can harm it. Anyone who touches it shall suffer instant death." With two sweeps on his wand, the floorboards and bed were put back.

"My Lord" said Bella, dropping to her knees. "I don't know how to thank you for this, my Lord."

"You are deserving, Bella. You are my most faithful servant"

He took her arm and they Disapparated.


	2. The Day That We First Met

Nearly two weeks have passed since the creation of Bella's horcrux. The Dark Lord has been buried in his work from dusk till dawn, training his Death Eaters and doing research. He divulged his plan to Bellatrix of luring the Potter brat into the Department of Mysteries to take the prophecy so he could at last hear it in its entirety. Bellatrix was to play an important part in this ploy. She and Lucius Malfoy were to take the prophecy from Potter once he lifted it from the shelves. It was a great honor, to hand deliver the prophecy to her master.

But somehow, Bella felt empty. Her emptiness had nothing to do with the fact that part of her soul was now forever encased in her mother's bracelet hidden beneath the floors of Wool's Orphanage. It had nothing to do with her untouched supper brought in by a house elf, which included all her favorite things, beef stew and Yorkshire pudding, rosemary potatoes and honey glazed carrots and a scrumptious chocolate cake for dessert. Voldemort always made damn sure she was fed well. She been emaciated after he broke her out of Azkaban but had filled out in the weeks since. She needed nourishment, he insisted, because her body and mind had taken a beating in the creation of her horcrux. And because he had a job for her. A job he would trust to no one else. But he wasn't telling her what it was. And this was not causing her emptiness either.

No…this was….something else.

She loved him…oh yes, she was in love with him, ever since they first met. She married Rodolphus Lestrange simply because that's what was expected of her. A good, respectable, pureblood marriage. But she was in love with Tom Marvolo Riddle. Lord Voldemort.

She summoned a house elf to bring her a large bottle of firewhiskey. Not even bothering to use a goblet, she took a large swig from the bottle and laid back on her bed, thinking of the first day they met.

 _She had been eleven years old. It was the night before her journey to King's Cross to board the Hogwarts Express. As the eldest sister, she would be the first to attend Hogwarts. Her trunk was already packed with her brand new wand, books, school robes, supplies, and everything else she'd need for her first year. Narcissa and Andromeda were both fast asleep upstairs._

 _She had been sitting on the lavish couch in her family's sitting room, reading a book titled "1,001 Jinxes and Hexes You Need For Dueling" and trying to pronounce the incantation for a spell that removed the bones from your opponents' arms when she heard them in the entrance hall. The first set of footsteps sounded like her father, Cygnus. She didn't recognize the second._

" _Bellatrix. I'd like you to meet my good friend, Lord Tom Riddle. He's here to pick up a few things. I trust you not to annoy him while I fetch them" Cygnus said._

 _Bella looked up and her eyes grew wide. She was looking at the handsomest man she had ever seen. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties. He was very tall, and had pale, almost milk-white skin and thick black hair and dark eyes._

" _Hello, Bella" he said, extending his hand._

 _She mumbled a shy "hello" as she shook it. It felt ice cold._

 _He sat down next to her, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of Honeydukes sweets._

" _You won't get into Hogsmeade until your third year, I'm afraid, but some candy wouldn't hurt"_

" _Th-thank you, Lord Riddle", Bellatrix blushed scarlet._

 _He leaned over to look at her book._

" _I can help you, if you'd like, Bella"_

 _He spent the next twenty minutes teaching her the correct pronunciations and hand movements for the spells in the book. The pair did not look up until Cygnus Black reentered the room, carrying a large package wrapped in brown paper._

" _Thank you, Cygnus. This will be most useful", Tom Riddle said as he took the package. "Bella here is a very promising young talent. You should be proud."_

 _He left without another word._


	3. Pleasure and Pain

Bellatrix sat panting on the floor of Lord Voldemort's bedroom in Malfoy Manor, the aftermath of what happened in the Department of Mysteries buzzing around her head like angry hornets. All the hard efforts…wasted. The prophecy smashed. Thwarted by the Potter brat yet again. Her master's anger burnt her like a fire, but he had rescued her. Of all the Death Eaters at the Department, he stayed behind, exposed himself to the Minister of Magic to save her…surely he was not angry with her?

"Master! Forgive me", she gasped, falling to her knees. "I did not know, I tried my best to get the prophecy but smashed, Master!"

"I do not seek to punish you, Bella" Voldemort said. "Stand up"

She stood, and Voldemort pointed his wand at her. All her injuries healed themselves. The broken ribs she suffered from the statue that pinned her to the ground mended. Voldemort reached into his robes pocket and handed her a small vial of potion. Bella drank it without a word and felt her pain subside.

"You really are a lovely creature, Bella", Voldemort said. Bella felt ice cold lips graze against her cheek and gave an involuntary shiver. Voldemort took no notice.

"I said, Bella, I had a special task for you"

"Yes, Master. I will do whatever you require"

"The Potter brat will die. No matter what that prophecy says- he must die. And he will. And I will be the one true ruler of the magical world. And you, Bellatrix, will be my queen. But there is one other thing I need…

An heir. A child raised to know and understand the superiority of magical blood. Extend Salazar Slytherin's noble bloodline. You are the only one worthy of carrying such a child, Bella"

"My Lord!" Bella exclaimed. "Thank you! This is the greatest honor you have granted me"

Voldemort placed a long fingered, spider-like hand under Bella's chin and kissed her again.

Then he took a step back and began to disrobe.

A thought crossed Bella's mind. _If creating horcruxes had so horribly disfigured Tom Riddle's face, what could his body possibly look like?_

As if reading her mind (or perhaps he had, with a silent _Legilimens_ ) Voldemort let his robes fall to the floor.

To Bella's surprise, his body looked perfectly normal. It was chalk white and completely hairless, but toned and muscular. Voldemort clearly took great care of himself.

He stepped closer and put his arms around Bella. Oh how she had fantasized about this day, how she dreamed of it…and here it was at last. She felt his hands run up her spine and unzip her dress. It fell to the floor and Bella felt ice cold hands caress her breasts. She was being pushed back onto the bed, Voldmort's ice cold body on top of her. He kissed her neck and slipped off her silk underwear. She felt his hands on her inner thighs, moving toward… toward…

She tightened her grip on his shoulders, her body shaking with desire. Oh how she craved him, despite the snake like face and ice cold feel of his body. Voldemort did not need Legilimency to know her moans were pure. She was not faking; she loved and desired him.

She kissed him back, pulling him closer to her, not wanting this moment to end.

And then she felt him enter her, a hard throbbing member inside her, filling her for the first time in fifteen years. She thrust her body upward, as Voldemort pinned her down and kissed her hard, gripping her neck tightly, chocking her, intensifying her orgasm. It was pleasure and pain and everything in between.

"Master!" she gasped, digging her nails into his back, panting hard.

She felt the hot, sweet release inside her…

And then he rolled off, his arm still around her. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"That old fool Dumbledore", he said slowly "says I crave power above all else. That is true. He also said I will do anything to gain power. Anything at all. That is also true. But know this, Bella. I will never put you in harm's way. No matter what power that brings me. You are mine, Bella".


	4. Eternity

Bella stood under her Invisibility Cloak, outside Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. For reasons undisclosed, Lord Voldemort had requested she get Helga Hufflepuff's cup out of her vault and bring it to him. It was a peculiar request, especially since she knew the cup to be a horcrux. She had hidden it in her vault decades ago, and cast many of her own protective charms on it. Why did her Lord need it back?

After a quick glance around and making sure nobody was looking in her direction, Bella threw off her cloak and entered the bank. She walked up to the goblin she recognized as Griphook.

"I wish to enter my vault. The Lestrange vault", Bella said, handing over her wand and key.

Griphook examined them closely before saying, "very well, Mrs. Lestrange. Please follow me".

Bella frowned as she got into the high-speed cart. She always hated the damn thing, even as a child. Somehow, she felt even sicker this time around. _Blasted thing_ , she thought, thinking of what was growing inside her. She hated it. The nausea, the emotions, everything. But this what her Lord wanted…surely, this would please him? The cart came to a sudden halt outside her vault. Griphook opened it with the key, and handed it back to Bella.

She stepped into the vault, walking past the massive piles of fat gold Galleons , and stopped when she saw the cup. She raised her wand and began lifting the protective enchantments on it. The process took nearly two hours and Griphook stood waiting patiently. Finally, Bella picked up the cup and took the high-speed journey back to the main entrance.

"Here is the cup, my Lord", Bella said as she Appararated back at Malfoy Manor, and handed the cup to Lord Voldemort.

"Excellent work, my Bella", said Voldemort. He pinned Bella to the wall of Lucius's study and kissed her hard on the lips. Then he walked over to the desk, placed the cup in the drawer, and sealed it shut with his wand. He turned to Bellatrix.

"I must depart now. I do not know how long my journey will take. A month. Perhaps longer. You are to stay at the manor. Do not leave. Anything you need will be provided by a house elf. All you must do is say word. I will put up additional protective wards. Your safety is of utmost importance, my queen".

He stood outside the manor for nearly an hour, putting up wards for Bella's protection. Draco was expecting his OWL results soon, so Voldemort made sure the post owls would be able to get by. But he had to keep Bella safe. No harm could come to her…

For a month, there was no sign of the Dark Lord. Bella stayed in the manor as she was been instructed. Draco's OWL results came in. Straight O's in everything. He was shopping with Narcissa for school supplies and robes when the familiar, ice cold voice called Bella into the study.

She darted in and saw her master sitting behind a desk. In front of him, was a ring, a locket, and a diadem. Bella could make out " _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure"_ written across it. She also noticed the Hufflepuff cup.

"My other horcruxes, Bella" said Voldemort. "It has come to my attention that horcruxes can be destroyed. Rest assured, no harm will come to yours. However, the Potter brat destroyed my diary with a basilisk's venom. That means that old fool Dumbledore will attempt to find these and destroy them. This locket was difficult to come by…the idiot Regulus stole it and attempted to destroy it. He failed. It took some…persuasion on my part get his elf to hand it over.

So my plan, Bella, is to reabsorb these pieces of my soul. Except one. I will transfer one to you. For all eternity, I will be tethered to life through you, and you through the horcrux you created"

"My Lord," Bella said. "How-how can you be sure mine won't be destroyed?"

"Dumbledore knows how to destroy them. He will be dead soon. And nobody has knowledge of your horcrux. Basilisk venom can also do it. But none can get into the Chamber of Secrets unless they speak Parseltongue. Potter can, but he will be dead, too. Hatching a basilisk required tremendous effort. These fools cannot do it. You have my word your horcrux will never be harmed, my queen"

Bella nodded.

Voldemort picked up the cup and stood in front of Bella. He tapped it with his wand and said, " _Recedere_ "

He then pressed the wand tip to Bella's heart and said " _Sorbere"_

Bella felt as in someone had shoved her into a pool of ice-cold water. The coldness was filling her up; it was inside her lungs, inside her heart, chilling her to the bone. And then a sudden fire erupted inside her. Heating her up, connecting with the torn portion of her soul. She was carrying a piece of her love's soul, she was his vessel, and the piece of his soul seemed to warm her from the inside, wiping all the pain and worries from her body. It was pure bliss.

And then she heard it. A low, faint hiss.

 _Master, what is this?_

She looked down and saw Voldemort's snake Nagini, circling around them.

"You can understand her, Bella, I trust?", Voldemort asked. Bella blinked. English. He spoke English and she understood him and she understood the snake, too.

Voldemort pressed his lips against hers. "Yes, Bella. Absorbing a piece of my soul seems to have given you the ability to speak Parseltongue. You will be able to write and read Parselscript, too."

And to her great surprise, Bella picked up a quill and wrote in a strange script, it was squiggly lines and dots, and yet she understood every word.

 _I am Lord Voldemort's Most Faithful Servant,_ she wrote.

 _.:Very good, Bella:._ Voldemort said in a low, faint hiss. She felt his lips graze her neck and leaned back into him. His body was chilling cold but Bella felt strange warmth. She was his, she knew. She was his…mind, body, and soul., she was his. For eternity.


	5. Not Worthy

Voldemort studied his face in the mirror and ran a thin, spider like finger down his cheek and the curve of his jaw. Reabsorbing the pieces of his soul has altered his appearance. He no longer had the flat, snake-like face. He looked like his father, Tom Riddle Sr. His eyes changed back to dark brown, and his hair was auburn again. He had a nose and full lips. He was recognizable as the handsome Tom who had attended Hogwarts. The Tom who charmed Hapzibah Smith. He had his old, pre-horcrux body back.

The Dark Lord stepped out of the lavish bathroom and into the study and examined the leeches, bicorn horn, knotgrass, and boomslag skin. He had requested the potions master, Severus Snape, to bring him the ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion, as well as a copy of _Moste Potente Potions._ He was not foolish enough to brew such a complex potion from memory. Snape, of course, had been murdered after he brought the desired items to the Riddle Manor where him and Bella now resided. Bella never trusted Snape. She suspected he was secretly loyal to that Mudblood lover, Dumbledore. So Voldemort killed him. He could not risk Snape telling anyone of the items Voldemort requested. He transported the body to Hogsmeade and left it outside the Three Broomsticks. The protective wards around Hogwarts prevented him from leaving the body right in the middle of the Great Hall. The following morning's _Daily Prophet_ blamed Snape's murder on the escaped Death Eaters, claiming they wanted to avenge Snape for leaving the Dark Lord. _Well, they aren't wrong,_ Voldemort mused.

 _No. No Fucking way. No!_ Bellatrix thought. _This will never work. This is foolish._ But she knew Narcissa would be scraping what's left of her off the wall if she ever divulged those thoughts to Voldemort.

Maybe it was _that_ making her emotional. As it progressed, she hated it more and more. At one point, she found herself in the medicine section of the Malfoy Manor library. After about a half hour of searching, she found what she was looking for. Pregnancy termination. There were three separate incantations, depending on how far along it was. The last two strongly suggested seeking the help of a trained mediwitch. Frowning, she put the book back. Her Lord would not be pleased. She had promised him an heir…

But _this…..._ this was preposterous. Absurd. It would never work...

She stood silently in the doorway, watching her master prod the leeches at the bottom of a cauldron with his wand.

The plan, Voldemort explained, was very simple. Lucius Malfoy would be freed from Azkaban in exchange for very valuable information. Voldemort and Bellatrix would sneak into the Ministry of Magic shortly after 2 pm on February 19th, 1997. They would attempt to kidnap the minister and his senior undersecretary, lock them in their dungeons, and pose as them with the help of the Polyjuice Potion. They would bring down the ministry from the inside and usurp the magical world for theselves. Oh it would be easy from that point on. Murder anyone who stands in their way and launch a fake investigation into the disappearing. By the time everyone realized what was going on, it would be too late. That will be Lucius's story.

Only it would not be Voldemort and Bella entering the ministry. It would be Peter Pettigrew and Alecto Carrow, Polyjuiced as Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. They would allow themselves to be murdered by Aurors. Anyone who died under the influence of the Polyjuice potion would be stuck bearing that appearance forever. They would trick the wizarding world into thinking they're dead. They would lure them into a false sense of security….and then strike at the right moment.

Lord Voldemort walked around the Riddle Manor with a hard look on his newly handsome face. To think, he could have grown up here instead of that dirty fucking orphanage...but he did not, becaue that Muggle fool he was named after abandoned his witch mother when she told him what she was. He could have been raised knowing his bloodline. He could have gone to Diagon Alley with his mother to buy his schoolbooks. He could have had a home…but he did not. All because of that Muggle filth. He sat in the lavish armchair and thought back to the day he killed his Muggle family.

 _Tom Riddle gently tapped the lock with his wand and the door flew open. He stepped inside the entrance hall and followed the lit passageway into the drawing room. Three people were sitting in it. An elderly woman was reading a newspaper on the couch, and two men, young and old, were drinking scotch and smoking pipes at a table across from her. The younger one was his father, Tom Riddle senior. When young Tom entered the room, he jumped up._

" _YOU!" he sceamed._

" _Me", Tom said quietly._

" _How did you get in here, you freak?"", screamed the older Riddle as his parents looked on in shock. "Y-you're her son, aren't you? That freak Merope! You're hers"_

" _Yes, I'm hers. The last descendant of Salazr Slytherin himself. You filthy Muggle were unworthy of her. Avada Kedavra!"_

 _Tom Riddle Sr.. fell to the floor and with two more waves of the wand, so did his parents._


	6. Bait and Switch

Bellatrix bit her tongue and looked at the Pensieve standing on the desk. After several complicated modifications, it showed not memories, but events happening in real time. Everything was going as Voldemort had planned. Lucius Malfoy has been released from Azkaban and was safely back at Malfoy Manor. The holiday break was over for Draco and he was back at Hogwarts.

Bella and Voldemort were watching in the Pensieve as Alecto Carrow was standing under an Invisibility Cloak outside the Ministry. Peter Pettigew, in his rat form, was inside her pocket. She was clutching two flagons of the Polyjuice Potion, enough for 12 hours. She also had one of Bella's hairs and a clip of Voldemort's nail. He was careful to clip the nail before reabsorbing his soul so Pettigrew would turn into his old form. No one knew of his new appearance except Bella.

The door to the ministry swung open and witches and wizards arrived for work at an entrance invisible to Muggle eyes. Alecto carefully slipped inside.

 _They were in!_ Bella couldn't believe how well the plan was working. Could they…could they really pull it off? Voldemort had spent the months leading up to this plan training the Carrow sister and Wormtail to act like himself and Bella and get them up to par on magical ability. Voldemort was the greatest and most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, and Bellatrix Lestrange was his best lieutenant. She had learnt the Dark Arts from Voldemort himself and there no reason to doubt she was just as skilled.

It was still shortly after 9am, sufficient time until the supposed arrival of the Dark Lord and Bellatrix but the Aurors seemed to be ready for them. They stood guard outside the Minister's office and at all the entrances. Nobody knew how Voldemort was to be getting in. Apparation? Floo? Visitor's entrance?

Alecto and Wormtail were still under the Invisibility Cloak, outside the dining chamber, where the succulent smells of breakfast were wafting out into the hall. She felt nauseous. She was about to die…but she would die serving her master. Oh how pleased he would be…He will be able to take over the magical world because of her sacrifice. She would be honored! When the time was right, Voldemort would tell his followers that it was through the efforts of herself and Peter Pettigrew that Voldemort was able to bring down the Ministry and seize control. She had given her life for this cause and Voldeort would honor her, even in death,

"You see, Bella?", Voldemort said as he took a sip of firewhiskey. Damn, it felt good to be able to taste again. "Everything is going according to plan. They will die and everyone will think it's us. They'll think they've won. And that's when we'll come for them"

"Y-yes, my Lord", Bella whispered. Why did she still think something was going to go horribly wrong? Everything was going great so far. What did she have to worry about? Was it _that_ again? Had she had her way, she would have terminated it months ago but her master made it clear that he was to be given an heir. She did not want to even think of her punishment for such insubordination. With a sigh turned her attention to the Pensieve.

Alecto stepped into a lavatory, Pettigrew still in his Animagus rat form in her pocket. Once inside the stall, she threw off the Cloak and Pettigrew transformed. They each dropped the final ingredients into the Polyjuice Potion and drank.

Bellatrix watched as their skin began to bubble and change. They both grew taller and thinner and Pettigrew's hair disappeared into his skull, while Alecto's darkened and grew. Once the transformations were complete, they threw the cloak back over themselves and rode the elevator to the 9th floor. While on the elevator, they took off the cloak. This was it…it was time.

"Bella. Tom", said the calm voice of Albus Dumbledore as they stepped out of the elevator. "We received a little tip off about your plan and I'm afraid this where the adventure ends"

"You got that right, old man!", snarled Pettigrew/Voldemort and raised his wand at Dumbledore. " _Avada Kedavra!"_

Before Dumbledore's body even hit the floor, a dozen wands were pointed at Bella/Alecto and Pettigrew/Voldemort

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

 _ **TRADGEDY AND VICTORY,**_ read the headline of the next morning's _Daily Prophet._

 _Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump, died at the hands of Lord Voldemort yesterday afternoon. Lord Voldemort and his follower, Bellatrix Lestrange were killed by Aurors in the ensuing struggle._

 _The murderous pair arrived at the Ministry of Magic shortly after 2 pm on February 19_ _th_ _, just like as told by Lucius A. Malfoy to the Wizengamont prior to his release from Azkaban (it was because of this information that Mr. Malfoy was released)._

 _Upon their arrival, they were greeted by the full team of Aurors ready to strike them down. Regrettably, before our Aurors had the chance to act, Voldemort managed to murder the Hogwarts headmaster. In such, this is a time for mourning and celebration. The wizarding world has lost the greatest wizard of our time, but we are forever free from the most evil._

Voldemort put down the paper and smiled at Bellatrix.


	7. 11 Years Later

The girl looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express, thick long black curls falling over her face. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy waved from the platform. She waved back and then leaned out of sight. The Hogwarts Express began to move and slowly disappeared from view. She sighed, thankful for some peace, when the door opened again. A boy, about 11 years old, stood in the doorway. _Must be a first year, too,_ the girl thought. He was tall with a pale face, brown eyes, and for some reason, bright blue hair.

"Do you mind?". He asked. Everywhere else is full.

"Oh no, go ahead" the girl said.

"I'm Ted Lupin, by the way". The boy said.

The girl smiled. "Delphi Malfoy"

"You're Draco's…"

"Sister. Post war child of Lucius and Narcissa'. The well rehearsed lie just rolled off her tongue.

Her real name was Delphini Riddle. She was the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort. Days after her birth, the Dark Lord handed her over to the Malfoys with instruction to raise her as their own and claim she was the post war baby. When she was eight, she learned of her true parentage and how she had to live with the Malfoys until she finished Hogwarts while her father took over the ministry and ensued victory for the Dark Order. Everyone believed them dead, killed in a ministry scrimmage eleven years ago. They used the time to carefully observe the current Minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. They studied his habits, his family, his quirks and preferences. Bella's spider Animagi form has made it all too easy to sneak into the Minister's home and observe him nightly. He always drank a glass of elf made wine with dinner. He did not like oranges. He worked on a desk in his study on which he kept a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix. He wanted to be more involved with the Hogwarts curriculum. All seemingly irrelevant information that would be a goldmine to the Dark Lord.

"We will rule the magical world, Delphini," her father had said. "And you, the augurey, will be at my side".

Delphi sighed and looked out the window against which rain was now pounding. It took her several moments to realize Ted was talking to her.

"S-sorry, what?"

"Anything off the trolley, dear?" asked a plump witch who was pushing a card loaded with sweets and ice cold pumpkin juice. Delphi fished some gold out of her pocket and paid for a stack of licorice wands, Chocolate Frogs, and Cauldron Cakes. Her and Ted ate their way through the sweets until Delphi pulled out a card from her frog. Her face became stony. Her expression cold and full of hatred. _Harry Potter._ The idiot who was responsible for her father's downfall all those years ago. And yet he had not killed Potter after Dumbledore's death _. It was too suspicious,_ said Voldemort. All assumed him dead. An attack on the Potter boy would surely ruined everything. Delphi set the card on fire with a silent _Incendio!_

"How did you do that?" asked Ted, impressed.

"Accident", Delphi lied quickly.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at Hogwarts and heard a grunt of "Firs' years this way! All firs' years, o'er here!"

Delphi and Ted gasped at the sight of the owner of the voice. He was twice as tall as a normal man and at least three times as wide. He had shaggy, matted hair that blended into an equally shaggy and matted beard.

"Rubeus Hagrid", he boomed. "Keeper of games an' grounds at Hogwarts. Teach Care of Magical Creatures, too. Won' be takin' dat until your third year, m'fraid".

The terrified looking first years followed the massive man to the edge of the lake where they climbed into boats. Once they reached the castle, the man, Hagrid, led them through massive oak front doors and told them to wait here, then vanished through another doorway. Less then ten minutes later, an old and stern looking witch in red robes appeared. Delphi's immediate impression was she was not someone to cross.

"I am Minerva McGonagall, headmistress of the school. In a few minutes, you will walk through these doors and join your classmates. But before that, you must be sorted into your house. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, while you're here, your house will be like your family. Any triumphs will win you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup. Follow me".

They followed her into a massive hall with four long tables standing in the middle. Students were sitting at the tables, carefully watching he first years. The staff table ran along the top of the hall. The ceiling above was pitch black and storm tossed. Delphi remembered reading in _Hogwarts, A History_ that the ceiling had been bewitched to look like the sky outside. Professor McGonagall began calling off names and boys and girls of varying degrees of fright walked up to a stool where she placed the ancient, tattered and torn Sorting Hat on their heads and it screamed out their house.

"Lupin, Edward!"

" _HUFFLEPUFF!"_

Delphini tutted in disappointment. She had grown to like Ted during their journey. Still, at least he wasn't in Gryffindor.

"Malfoy, Delphini!"

 _Hmm,_ said a small voice inside her head. _Not really a Malfoy, are you? You have Black and Riddle blood, but wear the surname Malgoy? Very cunning, I see. Brilliant mind. Resourceful and loyal. Yes, it's only fitting that you be in…_

" _SLYTHERIN!"_ the hat yelled the last word out loud for the whole hall to hear and Delphi, with a laugh, ran to join her housemates. Yes, this is going to be a wonderful seven years.


End file.
